Yoke.



c. E. DAT'H.

` YoKE. APPLICATION FILED AUG.20. 19H.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

rrnn sfrarns PATENT oFFCE CHARLES E. DATH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, lASSIGN'R TO WILLIAM H. MINER, 0F

I CHAZY, NEW YORK.

YOKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1 918.

Application led August 20, 1917. Serial No. 187,202.

T all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. DATE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Iinprovement in Yokes, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact i description, reference being had to the aecompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

In the drawing forming part of this speci-- ication, Figure l s a part vertical section,

part side elevation of a draw bar and yoke showing my improvements in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the front portion of the yoke and rear end of the draw bar illustrated in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical, transverse, sectional view, taken on the .line 3 3 of Fig. 1. And Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. l, but illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

I Referring to the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 10 denotes the shank of a standard draw bar having the usual butt 11 and coupler key slot 12. The yoke, as shown, comprises, broadly, a hollow rectangular hood or head A and a yoke strap B. The head A is provided with slightly flaring vertical side walls 13-13, vertically arranged upperX and lower transversely extending cross bars or walls 111-14 and horizontal connecting and draw bar guiding walls 15-15. The walls 15-15 are spaced vertically a distance corresponding to the vertical height of the draw bar butt so as to properly guide and support the latter.

The inner faces of the cross bars 14-14' are` spaced apart vertically a distance equal substantially to the vertical height. of the' draw bar but plus twice the thickness of the strap forming the loop B. y

It will also be noted that the cross bars 14 are located at the rear of the head A for the purpose hereinafter described. l The head A and draw bar are detachably con nected by a coupler key 16 which extends through the slot 12 and corresponding slots provided in the side walls 13 of the head.

The yoke strap or loop B is of well known form and preferably made of wrought iron. Said member B comprises upper and lower arms 17-17 connected at their rear ends by a vertical section 18, the latter preferably having secured to its inner face a filler block 19. At their front ends, the arms 17-1'7 have upwardly and downwardly bent flange portions 20-20 which are provided with rivet holes 21e-21 in alinement with corresponding rivet holes 2Qf-22 inthe cross bars 14.

The arrangement is such that the yoke member B may be an old yoke of the s0- called riveted type and in actual practice, the location of the cross barsvlil of the head will be such that, when the forward ends of the old yoke strap are bent upwardly and downwardly, as indicated, the rivet holes 21 therein which originally corresponded to the rear rivet holes 23-23 of the draw bar, will aline with said rivet holcs22-22 of the cross bars 14. When thus-bent, the strap is connected to the hood by rivets 24--24 and anyv metal on the ends of the strap after the latter has been flanged upwardly and downwardly, as above indicated, l

can be cut off Hush with the outer faces of the cross bars 14.

l/Vith the arrangement above described, it is obvious that I have provided an exceede ingly inexpensive yoke for railway use inasmuch as the amount of metal required in the cast head A is reduced' substantially to a minimum and the railroads can remploy the old yoke straps of the riveted type, thus saving the expense of the strap. Not only this, but the arrangement is such that a very strong connection is provided between the strap and the head since the upwardly and downwardly bent portions 21 of the strap are placed in direct shear acrossh their entire width and the rivets 24-24 are subject to very little stress either tension or shear. f

With my arrangement, the connection bep tweenthe strap and head is such that breakage will not occur at the 'connection inasmuch as this affords a maximum resistance slnce the entire strap is under shear.

At the same time, it is also apparent that I have provided a detachable connection for the draw bar with the consequent advantages as compared with the old type of .riveted yoke strap.

ln the'construction illustrated vin Fig. 4,

the connection between the headA and yoke strap B is substantially identical with that disclosed in the other three' figures except that the lower cross bar 114 of the head is extended somewhat to the rear of the upper cross bar 114. This is done in order to permit the draw bar butt 111 to drop downwardly when it is disconnected from the headJ as hereinafter described. ln this construction, the arrangement permits of a detachable connection with any stand ard draw bar Whether the same has a coupler key slot or not, and in order to carry out this function, the head A is provided across the uoner portion thereof with an integral wall 115 having a downturned gib 40 at its front edge which is arranged to engage the upper shoulder 41 of the draw'bar butt. f At its lower end, the head A is provided with a lower horizontal integral wall 42 which is spaced suii'cently below the` gib 40 as to permit the insertion of the draw bar butt longitudinally beneath the gib. After the y draw bar butt has been inserted, as above described, it is held in elevated position and in coperative engagement with the gib by means of a transversely extending locking and supporting block 43, the latter also havingr an upturned gib 44 at its front edge 'arranged to engage the lower shoulder 45 0f the draw bar butt. Said block 43 is inserted laterally through the side Walls of annessa the head A', said Walls being provided `with slot-s corresponding in size and shane to said block 43. flhe latter can be held against ac cidental lateral movement by any suitable means, such as cotter 46. rl`he arrangement illustrated in Fig. 4 obviously has all. 'of thev advantages above described in Aconnection with the structure illustrated in the other three figures. v

I claim:

l. A yoke of the character described com- -1 .prising, a hollow head adapted to herdetachably connected to a draw bar, and 2 yoke strap, said head having upper and lower transversely extending cross bars at the rear thereof, said yoke strapfhaving the front ends of the arms thereof bent outwardly against the'forward faces cross bars and riveted thereto.

ofv said .y

' yso 2. As an articles of manufacture, a yoke for railway draft riggings, sald yoke coniprising a hollow head adapted to be detachL ably connected to a draw bar, said head having vertical side walls and urne'r and lower-transversely extenda cross bars at the rear end thereof; a U-shaped strap havine' the forward ends thereof bent upwardly and downwardlv.,respectively to overlie theerrantes n Darn, 

